1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a swivel type working vehicle, such as a backhoe, having a traveling device, a turntable mounted on the traveling device to be revolvable about a vertical axis, an engine disposed in a rear region of the turntable, a hydraulically actuated implement disposed in a front region of the turntable, hydraulic equipment disposed on one side region of the turntable, a rear hood covering the engine, and a side hood covering the hydraulic equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the swivel type working vehicle noted above, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Kokai No. H11-1939, the engine is mounted in a horizontal position on the rear region of the turntable, with a blow-off type radiator disposed at the right side of the engine, and a driver""s seat disposed forwardly of the engine. An oil tank, which is one of the hydraulic equipment, a fuel tank and a battery are disposed at the right side of the driver""s seat. The engine and radiator are covered by the rear hood. The fuel tank, battery and oil tank are covered by the side hood.
In the conventional swivel type working vehicle, the side hood is openable or removable. However, no measure has been taken to prevent the side hood swung to an open position from obstructing access of the operator to the equipment covered by the side hood in a closed position. The side hood swung to the an open position may be obstructive to an operation to inspect and maintain the interior. Similarly, the rear hood swung to an open position could obstruct an inspect and maintain the engine and engine accessories.
Having regard to the disadvantage of the prior art noted above, an object of this invention is to provide a swivel type working vehicle with a rear hood and a side hood having optimal open positions. It is particularly important that the rear hood and side hood swung to open positions expose an engine and hydraulic equipment and present no obstacle to access for a maintenance service.
The above object is fulfilled, according to this invention, by a swivel type working vehicle wherein the rear hood includes a pivot device disposed in an upper front end region thereof and having a pivot axis extending transversely of a vehicle body, the rear hood being pivotable by the pivot device between a closed position covering the engine and an open position exposing the engine, and the side hood includes a pivot mechanism disposed in a lower front end region thereof and having a pivot axis extending transversely of the vehicle body, the side hood being pivotable by the pivot mechanism between a closed position covering the hydraulic equipment and an open position exposing the hydraulic equipment.
With this construction, when the two hoods are swung to the open positions, a rear portion of an engine room including the engine covered by the rear hood is fully opened, and a hydraulic implement room including an oil tank covered by the side hood is as a whole opened to the outside. Thus, areas from a rear portion to a side portion of the turntable are opened without being obstructed by the two hoods, to allow an inspecting and maintaining operation to be carried out with ease.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention the rear hood in the closed position and the side hood in the closed position have opposed edges substantially level with each other to form a smooth transition from an upper surface of the rear hood to an upper surface of the side hood. When the two hoods are swung to the open positions, one side of the turntable on which the hydraulic equipment is disposed is opened continuously from the rear of the turntable, to present an unobstructed view of the engine to the hydraulic equipment. When the two hoods are swung to the closed positions, the opposite surfaces form a smooth plane without irregularities, providing an excellent outward appearance.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the side hood defines a boundary on one side of the turntable, and the rear hood defines a rearward boundary of the turntable, a driver""s seat being disposed in a space partially surrounded by the rear hood and the side hood. Thus, the two hoods provide a neat outward appearance rearwardly and laterally of the driver""s seat. In addition, effective use is made of the spaces around the driver""s seat.
In a further preferred embodiment of this invention, the side hood includes a locking device disposed in a rear region thereof for locking the side hood to the closed position, the locking device being accessible from outside when the rear hood is opened, and inaccessible from, outside when the rear hood is closed. With this construction, once the locking device is operated to lock the side hood and the rear hood is closed, the side hood cannot be opened without opening the rear hood. That is, opening of the rear hood is a precondition for opening of the side hood, and therefore only the rear hood may be locked film outside. The two hoods have a neat outward appearance.
The side hood may be adapted removable from the pivot mechanism. Then the side hood may be removed from the turntable as necessary.
In a further preferred embodiment of this invention, the side hood is formed of plastic, and has a reinforcing frame extending in a fore and aft direction along an inner surface thereof, the pivot mechanisms being connected to the reinforcing frame. This construction allows the side hood to be lightweight and easy to handle, without significantly lowering the rigidity of the side hood. In particular, the connection with the pivot mechanism which undergoes a heavy load should desirably be at the reinforcing frame.
For a reliable pivotal mounting of the rear hood, it is preferable that the pivot device is attached to an arched support frame fixed to the turntable so as to straddle the engine.